Jakarta –
A pair killer whale or orcateamed up to slaughter 19 hiu sevengill wide nose. Even more sinister, they only eat the liver and the rest of the shark becomes a carcass that washes up on the beach at Pearly Beach in South Africa.
As quoted detikINET from Live Science, Alison Knock, a marine biologist at the South African National Parks, analyzed the behavior of the two male killer whales, who were named Port and Starboard. As you know, orcas are one of the smartest animals on planet Earth. Even though it is called a whale, this animal actually includes dolphins.
This is not the first time the two killer whales have done the same thing. In 2017, they slaughtered eight great white sharks. All of the sharks that died, except for one, only had their liver eaten and their bodies left to rot.
In his tweet, Kock explained that they may have initially learned from experience when they first preyed on a new species. Once orcas know the location of the liver on a shark, they will remember it forever and become more efficient hunters.
Moreover, shark liver is very nutritious and has lots of fat and vitamins. “Orcas may have learned that consuming shark liver provides high energy and nutrition. Shark liver is large and floats to the surface of the water when the shark is killed, making it easier for the orca to see and access, compared to other organs,” said Kock.
Orcas sometimes hunt prey in pairs so they can slaughter sharks efficiently. “One orca harass the shark and the other kills. This hunting strategy requires high intelligence and social cooperation,” added Kock.
Orcas can also use their large tails to slap and immobilize sharks or flip them over to induce tonic immobility. Tonic immobility occurs when a shark flips over and goes into a trance-like state, whereupon it is easily killed.
Kock said this kind of behavior has been documented around the world, including in South America, North America, Australia and New Zealand. However, only recently have orca attacks become more common in South Africa.
Then, the fact that so many sharks were killed by prey killer whale in one day raises concerns. “This is a large sum for a day of hunting,” wrote Kock.
Watch Video “16-year-old girl killed by shark while swimming in Australian river“
(fyk/fyk)
